The leaves have started to turn; our neighborhood trees are beginning to drop colorful leaves. I wanted to try a nature-themed sensory bin with Kay so while she was away I walked around the neighborhood collecting acorns, pine cones, leaves of all shades, sticks and rocks. (Yes, I probably did look like an idiot; thanks for asking, lol.) I tried to find a variety of colors, sizes and textures.
I had it all set up for her. We had just made powdered paint from chalk that morning so she wanted to sprinkle a little of that in there, like fairy dust. I had been showing her how water changes the color of the powder, makes it darker and like a paint, so she also squirted some water in there too. She took out the acorns and lined them up, counting how many she was going to throw to the squirrels if she saw them. And that was the extent of her interaction with this sensory table.
She is a girl who likes to scoop and pour and feel the material running through her fingers. She wants to sprinkle it on her arms or feel it between her toes. This just wasn't her area. I'm still glad to have tried it. I pointed out the leaves and asked her is she knew what that meant. "It's almost coming fall," she told me. So this one was not a big hit at our house. However I have a plan for tomorrow of what to do with all those nature materials...